Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse perpetrated by a parent have been heard in private law family proceedings in the past two years; and how many findings of child sexual abuse were made in those proceedings.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Transfers of residency orders, incidences of findings of child sexual abuse in private law proceedings, and cases involving allegations of parental alienation or alienating behaviours are not recorded centrally. Such information could only be obtained by analysis of individual case files at disproportionate costs.
Regarding the term “parental alienation”: as part of his judgment in the case of Re C, the President of the Family Division outlined that most family judges regard the label of “parental alienation”, and the idea that it “may be a diagnosable syndrome” as being “unhelpful”. He noted that instead the courts should focus on identifying any specific “alienating behaviours”.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October; and what discussions they have had with (1) other governments, and (2) the United Nations and other international organisations and officials, on the basis of this assessment.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the deeply concerning reports of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October. It is vital that reports of sexual violence are investigated independently, rigorously, and sensitively to avoid re-traumatisation, that perpetrators are held to account, and that survivors receive holistic support. We continue to engage regularly with partners, including the United Nations, to urge that all reports of sexual violence in conflict are investigated, that survivors have access to specialized services and justice, and that parties abide by international humanitarian and human rights law.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 4 July (HL8647) and 18 September (HL9785), what progress has been made in monitoring conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan, what steps they are taking to support accountability for conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan, and what steps they are taking to ensure that the United Nations fact-finding mission for Sudan includes conflict-related sexual violence expertise.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to tackling gender-based violence including conflict-related sexual violence globally. We continue to call for an end to the violence in Sudan, and for those responsible for human rights violations to be held to account. The UK has enhanced its atrocity risk monitoring, including monitoring of conflict-related sexual violence. The Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) in October, which will ensure that credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses, including conflict-related sexual violence, by all sides will be investigated impartially by experts in their field to support future accountability efforts. The HRC Presidency has begun the selection process for the three experts that will make up the FFM. We continue to support the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN partners working with Sudan's Combating Violence Against Women Unit.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 4 July (HL8646), what steps they are taking to ensure that Sudanese women and women’s civil society organisations are included in all peace and ceasefire negotiations relating to the current conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is essential that Sudan's civilians, civil society, women, youth, and Resistance Committees, are all represented in peace and ceasefire negotiations and are included in political discussions about their country's future. On 27 October, UK and Troika partners issued a joint statement welcoming the Sudanese civilians meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to restore Sudan's democratic transition. The UK has also been working closely with Norway in funding a Humanitarian Conference in Cairo this month. We continue to advocate for a return to a civilian-led government. The security and military forces must be held to their commitment to withdraw from politics. We urge all Sudanese stakeholders to engage in an inclusive dialogue that will deliver the peace and stability that the Sudanese people deserve.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghans awaiting resettlement in the UK or decisions on eligibility under (1) the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, and (2) the Afghan Citizens Refugee Scheme, are currently in Pakistan; and what steps they are taking to ensure that they are not deported back to Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We will continue to honour our commitment to bring eligible Afghans to the UK and plans are underway to relocate these families as soon as possible.
There is no publicly available data on the number of individuals currently awaiting resettlement from Afghanistan and third countries such as Pakistan, including those awaiting a decision on eligibility.
Afghans in third countries including in Pakistan who are eligible for resettlement to the UK continue to be supported by the UK Government, and flights from Pakistan to the UK continue to take place.
The UK Government is aware of recent announcements made by the Government of Pakistan regarding Afghans being illegally present in Pakistan. We have engaged intensively with the Government of Pakistan to secure assurances that none of those eligible under Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will be subject to deportation while they await relocation to the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many refugees have been resettled in the UK under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme via (1) Pathway 1, (2) Pathway 2, and (3) Pathway 3; and for each pathway, how many of those have been resettled (a) in total, (b) between January to July 2023, and (c) since July 2023.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes. We continue to honour our commitments to bring eligible Afghans to the UK.
The data published within: immigration system statistics release (year ending June 2023, published 24 August 2023) provides a breakdown of arrivals by quarter. The number of individuals resettled under the schemes is as follows: 9,676 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 66 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 41 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.
Afghan Operational data is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)
Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next publication due around the 23 November 2023.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are currently waiting for decisions on eligibility under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; and how many people approved for resettlement in the UK under the scheme are currently awaiting resettlement.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We will continue to honour our commitment to bring eligible Afghans to the UK and plans are underway to relocate these families as soon as possible.
There is no publicly available data on the number of individuals currently awaiting resettlement from Afghanistan and third countries such as Pakistan, including those awaiting a decision on eligibility.
Afghans in third countries including in Pakistan who are eligible for resettlement to the UK continue to be supported by the UK Government, and flights from Pakistan to the UK continue to take place.
The UK Government is aware of recent announcements made by the Government of Pakistan regarding Afghans being illegally present in Pakistan. We have engaged intensively with the Government of Pakistan to secure assurances that none of those eligible under Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will be subject to deportation while they await relocation to the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) improve the enforcement of and compliance with the UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on Darfur, and (2) extend the arms embargo to the whole of Sudan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on Darfur was renewed in March 2023, and is due for review by September 2024. The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) will brief the UN Security Council on 13 September ahead of mandate renewal negotiations for which the UK will hold the pen. There is a longstanding bilateral UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan which prevents weapon flows and tackles individuals working against peace. UK sanctions under the Sudan Sanctions (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 provides another tool for holding those to account for violations against peace and stability in Sudan.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any members of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative team of experts have been deployed to Sudan or neighbouring countries since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls in Sudan must end. While a visit by the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Team of Experts has not been deployed, the UK is taking a range of actions to address the situation. On 14 July, members of the PSVI International Alliance issued a joint statement condemning increasing reports of sexual violence and calling on all parties to stop the violence. The UK has consistently condemned these crimes in other public statements, at the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council, and in diplomatic lobbying. We continue to support the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN partners working with Sudan's Combating Violence Against Women Unit.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Offord of Garvel on 5 July (HL8206) regarding UK Export Finance support for exports to Serbia, what steps they are taking to ensure that Serbian entities comply with end user certificate requirements in respect of UK exports to Serbia.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK Export Finance has not supported any exports to Serbia that are subject to UK export licensing requirements. UKEF is committed to high standards of environmental, social and human rights risk management. When considering support to projects UKEF undertakes due diligence on all relevant aspects, including environmental, social and human rights, climate change, and antibribery and corruption measures.